The walls have closed but you found your way back
by Lumos5000
Summary: It's been five years since Journey's End. Rose and the Meta-Crisis Doctor have built a life on this Parallel Earth but an unexpected visitor might just change all that. Note: This is my first fanfic, so this please, please review. I love to hear your feedback.


Rose poured herself a cup of coffee, and sipping, mused over the last couple of years. She had the Meta-Crisis Doctor now, and he was wonderful but not quite her Doctor. Sometimes he would just do things that were just too human and she would be reminded. Rose loved this new Doctor but it was in a different way than she had love the original. Thankfully that happened less and less now.

She made her way back to the bedroom where he was still fast asleep, leaning against the doorframe, observing him. She loved to watch him sleep, curled up in a tight ball, slightly cat like but so very peaceful. Sometimes she would wake up and just watch him, marvel at how lucky she was to have him, count his few grey hairs that were proof that he was aging at the same time as her.

_Vworrrp. Vworrrp._

Her heart skipped a beat and she gasped. It was the TARDIS noise, she would recognize it anywhere but it sounded off, some how sick and in pain. Under the noise she heard a loud thud, like a heavy object being dropped from a great height. Something, though she was pretty sure she knew what, had crashed into her yard.

For a moment she stood, frozen in the doorframe, looking from the Doctor to the window and back, torn between investigating herself and waking him. He was still asleep of course, that man could sleep through anything. Then the moment passed and she ran to the window, and gasped, the coffee mug slipping from her hands, forgotten. Quickly she grabbed her bathrobe and slipped it on, glancing back at the Doctor, still asleep, before she ran into the yard to confront the blue box.

The door of the TARDIS flew open as Rose reached the yard. A man in a bow tie and tweed jacket fell out onto the lawn, gasping in pain. "What happened? I was just in London. How'd I end up here?" he muttered between spasms.

Rose stood rooted to the spot, watching the withering man on her lawn, her brain not being able to process what was in front of her because it was so very impossible. "Doctor?" her voice barely above a whisper.

"Rose…" he breathed, and her heart skipped a beat when he located her, their eyes making contact for a brief moment, his pain eased, "No. How? I…" He starts to rise, but falls again as another wave of pain hits him and she runs to him, kneeling on the damp grass, lifting his head into her lap. "Doctor. It's me. It's Rose. You'll be ok." She strokes his hair, the familiarity of this scene reawakening old memories. They stay like this for a while as the attacks become less and less frequent.

"Rose?" a voice whispers behind her and she nearly jumps, looking up to see her Doctor standing in the yard. She registers fear and surprise in his eyes, as well as something else that she can't define, as he looks upon his self, laying sprawled out before him.

"Doctor I…" Rose begins to address him but the other Doctor (oh this is going to be confusing, she thinks) jumps to his feet, "Ahhhhh…" he checks his body for damage, looking around, "What happened? I was taking off from London, traveling through the vortex…things got a bit wibbly." He turns and sees the two of them, "Oh hello, Rose and…me. Well this just got complicated."

She stands back up, bridging the gap between the two of him, another familiar memory, looking from one to the other, "Doctor, how is this possible? How is this possible? The void…" she trails off, lost for words.

She addressed the "new" Doctor but it is her Doctor who speaks, "Yeah it was the void. Somehow me being here caused the TARDIS to fling itself across the void and into our world. He's not supposed to be here, hence the spasms—"

Eleven nods in agreement, continuing, "My body was just acclimating to the universe. It knows I'm not supposed to be here, hence me reacted adversely. I should be fine now. Oh it's going to be fun having someone who understands me." He grinned at his counterpart.

"But the void snapped shut. It sealed itself," Rose said marching over to the one in tweed, pointing accusingly at him, "_You_ told me we would never see each other again. That it was impossible…"

"It was, at least I thought it was." He looks worriedly at his clone, "This means that it's broken, a crack in the fabric of time," he muses, shaking his head.

"Obviously," she huffs. So many emotions were running through her head that she can't look at him any more and walks over to her Doctor, "Good morning by the way." She gives him a peck on the cheek.

"Good morning." He smiles honestly, "Oh and nice to see me again. _Welllll…_ a new me, but still me."

"I'm not sure he is you," Rose said, leaning against her Doctor, his arm wrapping automatically around her waist, "He's to gangly and clumsy and young. I mean I thought you were a tall string of nothing but…" she trails off, gesturing.

"What? I think I look just as good." He straightens his bow tie, "I mean my fashion sense is better. I mean bow ties are cool."

Rose raises an eyebrow, "I prefer the pinstripe." She says simply looking loving up at her Doctor.

"Pinstripe? Pinstripe!" he grumbles, "I bet you would have liked the vegetable and long scarf too."

"Oi! Pinstripe is a classic!" his counterpart retorts

Rose watches them bicker, shaking her head, "He's like a twelve year old," she mutters.

"Which one of us?" they both cry.

"Both of you." She puts a hand on her Doctor's arm, "Listen, I'll be right back. I just want to check on the baby." Rose kisses his cheek, looking back at the other Doctor to see his eyes go wide, and walks back towards the house.

"Baby?" Eleven chokes out, his face a mixture of emotions, trying to process that nugget of information, "Baby?" he says again, looking at his double.

"Yeah," the Doctor scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, a smile on his face, "Ummm… it just sort of happened. She's about a year old now."

"So we finally went all the way eh?" he whispers awkwardly.

The Doctor looks back towards the house for a moment and then back at himself, "What about you?" he dodges the question, "Do you have anyone in your life?"

"No…well, yes but I dunno." He shrugs, "Time travel and all." and the Doctor nods understandingly.

Rose walks back outside, her daughter wide awake in her arms. She sees the two Doctor's talking, about lord knows what. This day has just gone from normal to absolutely weird. When she rejoins the two men she turns to Eleven saying, "Your TARDIS woke her up." she says shifting the baby in her arms.

"Well I thought you would miss the old girl. You two had a special connection." He smiles at the baby. The look on his face is so full of wonder and awe that a lump forms in Rose's throat as he waves at her daughter, "Awe, what do I call her?"

"I don't miss the noise. Especially when it wakes my daughter up." she says handing her off to her Doctor, "Her name is Donna. We thought it only fitting. He," she gestures to her Doctor, "told me what you would did. I'm sorry..."

"Awww. Yeah." he looked down in pain. "I have not had the best luck lately." he was tearing up. She saw as he fought to push the pain away, something he had always done. _Nothing really had changed there,_ she thought. Eventually he smiled. "How have you two been?"

"Fine, really. Got married. Both of us worked for this world's version of Torchwood until we found out I was pregnant. He still does though. And we have been growing that piece of TARDIS coral you gave us. There has been a lot of progress on—" Rose gasps, an idea forming. She turns to her husband, "What if our piece of the TARDIS pulled the fully grown TARDIS through the void. We have been getting some strange reading from it lately."

"So you got it to work? You are actually growing a TARDIS? Brilliant!" Rose can't help but smile at the use of one of his old favorite words. She wonders if he still uses it or if he as found something else more appropriate for his new personality. She realizes that they are still talking and she tunes herself back into the conversation, looking to Eleven as he continued to speak, "If we could reverse the polarity of its neutron flow, it can push mine out through the void and seal the breach." He smiled at her Doctor.

"Well I think you should stay here for a few days." He replies, and she looks at him with horror. Why not just fix the problem right now, and he can be on his merry way. She gulps, "Stay with us?" so many emotions playing within her, mainly confusion, "Why? Shouldn't we try to seal the breach as soon as possibly?"

"Oh it won't start to have affects for months." he smiled down at her, nodding to the other Doctor.

"Right. Fine." she huffs, taking Donna out of the Doctor's arms, "I'll be in the house." she starts to walk off, trying her best not to get emotional. Five years, five years building a life with her Doctor and now _he_ shows up out of the blue, stirring up old emotions. Thankfully he has regenerated so at least she wouldn't confuse the two, _that_ could be really embarrassing.

The two men watched her stalk off towards the house, each wearing the same expression on their face. They both winced as the door slammed shut, Eleven looking at his double ganger. "Is she okay?" He whispered.

"I don't know" He replied, shooting his other self an apologetic look and ran back towards the house, catching his breath at the door before walking inside,"Is everything is okay, dear?" He asked worriedly

She didn't acknowledge him, merely walking into the kitchen, sitting Donna into her highchair, busying herself around the kitchen so she won't have to look at him, "Fine, just wonderful." Rose starts on a bottle, popping it into the microwave, and leaning back on the counter to study her husband, "Five years..." she shakes her head.

He followed her, leaning against the refrigerator, watching her storm around the room, torn between going to comfort her and being afraid to get a smack if he even dared, "What do you mean five years?" he whispers.

"It's been five years since he dropped us off on that beach." She answered plainly.

"Well he had to dear. How could you be mad at him? He gave us this life. Otherwise we would be running around aimlessly. Isn't this better?"

She looks past him, watching the other Doctor right his TARDIS, checking her for damage, and then back to her husband, "Yes, of course. It's just weird him being here after all this time... I dunno. It's definitely not how I wanted my day to start. Not today of all days." she sighs, smiling softly up at him.

He looks down. "Rose... You can't read him like I can... He is so... lonely..." He was looking nervous. "He is so hurt. He is on the verge of tears" She see that her is pain is his eyes, and deduces that she must be telling her this for a reason.

The microwave beeps, and Rose takes the bottle out, shaking it up and testing its temperature, musing over his words. Satisfied, she goes over to Donna and gives her the bottle, watching her instead of looking at her Doctor or out the window. "Really?" she asks. "Why?"

"He is all alone." His voice is so quiet she can barely understand him. But she does and those four words make her catch her breath as the silence stretches between them.

She nearly jumps out of her seat as she hears the door open and the other Doctor enter the house, his feet shuffling across the wooden floors. His boyish face peaks inside the room, "Who's all alone?"

_Shit._ He had heard them talking.

"You were." she says, elaborating, her eyes darting to her husband and back as the Doctor enters the room, "Well I mean we left you all alone outside... I hope you didn't mess up my flowerbeds. Is the TARDIS alright?" She gives her Doctor a look that clearly says well-talk-about-this-later.

"She will be. She's a tough ol' girl." He smiles. "I would not try to push her back through for at least a week." He looks at the two of them and she can tell that he knows something isn't right. Perhaps he even has guessed what they had been talking about. She wouldn't put it past him.

"So we get a boarder for a week then?" she tries to sound cheerful, "I thought you didn't like the domestics?" she laughs, this time it is more genuine.

"Well this body is a little more accepting of that." He giggles and a shiver runs down Roses body. God he is flirting with her and doesn't even realize it. Worse he is doing it in front of her Doctor. A flush spread through her cheeks as the silence stretched. "I'll believe it when I see it. I could never really picture you in a domestic setting." she can't help but flirt back, cursing herself for being able to fall back into that natural rhythm she had with both of the previous Doctors. Trying to save face, she smiles up at her husband saying, "Now him, he's great at domestics. Boy you should see him clean. It's fantastic."

"I am great with a mop apparently" Her husband chuckled, as he played with Donna. Rose watches as, the other Doctor goes to the sink, and starts on the dishes. He must be rather eager to prove he has changed his tune about domestics.

"You're great with _everything_ love." she winks, watching Eleven wash some plates, "I think we might need to hide the sharp implements and anything breakable if you landing is anything to go by Doctor."

"I admit that when I regenerated last—_and got a better fashion sense mind you—_I was quite clumsy, but I have gotten better." He smiled at her as he broke a plate and she shakes her head, rushing to the sink and pulling him away before he broke anything else. _Same old Doctor_, she thinks as she steers him towards the table and plopping him down in one of the chairs, "Stay put," she says, lifting Donna from her highchair and placing her in his lap, "And please do not break my daughter. It's rather hard work making another." she winks at her Doctor, before going to fish broken pieces of china out of the sink.

Rose grabs a towel and picks out the piece of the broke dish tossing them in the bin as the Doctor fusses with her daughter, "Sorry, sorry... But umm... Doctor, Please take her from me." he said calmly, and she rolls her eyes, as she returns to the sink. He gets so fidgety over the weirdest things.

"Why Doc?" He smiled as he took her, bouncing her on his leg. She babbled contently, and Rose chuckled.

"Because I am bleeding rather badly from my hand." He said wincing at it.

Rose turns around and covers her mouth, seeing a rather large amount of blood dripping from the Doctor's hand, onto his clothes, down his arm and dripping across the floor. She shakes out her towel and , running over to him and wrapping his hand up, "Not even five minutes in my house and there already is a catastrophy."

"Doesn't it remind you of the good... old... days..." He said as he fell off of the chair. _Oh god, what now?_

"Doctor!" she screamed, grabbing him by his jacket, trying to stop him from hitting the floor, "What's wrong with him?" she asks, looking up at her Doctor.

"I don't... I don't know. His body still must not be calibrated to this universe yet, side effect of coming though the void," he looked down at his counterpart unconscious in her lap. Rose watches as he moves to put the Donna up in her play pen before coming back into the kitchen. "Rose come on help me with him." He was being to shake but his hand no longer bled.

She nods to shocked to say anything, instead grabbing him under the arms, while her Doctor got his feet. "It's definitely a side effect of the void.", he said as the moved him. Together they managed to get him to the couch, being careful of his cut hand. She can feel the tremors coming off on him, it reminds her of how he looked right after his other regeneration, all pale and helpless, "What should we do?"

"Get the celery,"he yelled at her.

"Celery?" she looks at him but doesn't question, running into the kitchen and yanking open the refrigerator, fumbling for the celery. She slows down a bit when she can here the other Doctor talking, walking instead of running back into the living room. She hands it of to Eleven, still curious. "Why celery?"

"It is almost the same as a pain killer we had on Gallifrey" He smiled at her, taking a bite.

"Right." she watches him munch on the vegetable. Celery as a painkiller? She supposed she had heard weirder things in her time traveling. "Listen," she says turning to her Doctor, "I'm going to bring Donna over to my mum's house for awhile. I have a feeling that this week is going to get a whole lot weirder." She walks out of the room, flipping open her mobile and dialing Jackie's number. He followed her into the other room, massaging her shoulders while it rang, "Sounds good dear." He smiles at her, "but know I will take her. You reconnect with that Doctor." She started to protest but he had already left the room.

She walked back to the doorframe, watching her Doctor scoop Donna from the playpen carrying her upstairs. "Hello? Rose is this you? Rose?" her mum's voice sounded in her ear and she realized her mobile was still in her hand. Quickly she told her mother that the Doctor was on his way over and then she walked back into the living room, the other Doctor still munching on the celery. Rose waited by the front door for her Doctor to reappear with Donna, and a few minutes later they appeared at the top of the stairs. She kissed them both good-bye and watched out the window, waving as they drove away.

When the car had finally disappeared down the drive, she turned back to the Doctor, sitting in the chair opposite him, "Will you be ok?"

"Yes, yes Fine. Fine." He smiled at her. "it hurt more when you left..." He looked in shocked at her and she felt the blood rushing to her face, pretty sure that her features mirrored his own at the moment.

"It hurt more the second time round for me personally." she countered, putting a hand to her mouth realizing she had actually said that aloud.

"Well It wasn't my choice... It broke my hearts..." He's voice held so much sincerity that she knew he was being completely honest with her. And, if there was ever a chance for her to open up to him, it would be now. She took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts.

"I know..." she says, all of the malice leaving her voice, "You were trying to give me the life that you knew I wanted with you, but you could never have." she shrugs, "I don't blame you, not any more. At first I did. I was _so_ mad, so very mad at you and him, for being like you in so many ways. He was a constant reminder that I couldn't have the real you." she can feel herself getting emotional, "And then something changes, I dunno what... But he is you and you are him, well you used to be. And I love him and my daughter so much. I guess what I am trying to say is thank you." Rose looks down at her feet, her vision blurred by the tears.

"I'm glad you feel that way." He smiles, and warmth spreads though her again as she looks back up at him. He is caked in his own blood and dirt from his fall out of the TARDIS. She hasn't seen him this disheveled in awhile, "You need to take those clothes off." she says in a matter of fact way.

"Ummm... excuse me?" His adam's apple bobs nervously in his throat and she chuckles as he stares at her, mouth slightly open, probably wondering if he heard her correctly.

Rose rolls her eyes at him, so awkward in this body,"Just look at you. You're covered in blood," she clarifies, pointing to his clothes, "You need to wash up and those clothes need to be laundered."

"I... I..." He looked down. "Alright. Fine, fine."

"Come on I'll help you to the washroom," she says, walking over to him, offering him a hand up. He takes it, placing his hand in hers, and she feels the roughness of his skin, but he drops her hand as soon as he is standing. She leads him to the washroom, letting him proceed her inside, as she watches him shrug off his tweed, and as attempts to do undo the bow tie one handed, his other hand still wrapped in the blood soaked towel, "Do you need help?"

He turns red as the implications of her words hit him, and lets out a nervous laugh, "Well as awkward as it sounds yeah I do..." he whispers

"I... I didn't mean anything by it..." she says uncomfortably, looking down at the tiled floor. _Sods it all, everything with him is suddenly one big innuendo._

"I know. I know, but I don't like being weak."

"I don't think anyone does," she helps him out of his shirt, "So Doctor, what have you been up to?" she says trying to keep the conversation casual, while trying desperately hard not to _look_. And yet she did peak a bit, not helping but comparing them. Her Doctor was bulkier, not particularly muscular but he had more build to him. This one was paler, and shorter, all sinew and he looked so god damn young. If she didn't know his true age, she would think he was in his mid to late twenties. Rose realizes he is talking and she focuses back on his voice,"Well traveling." He smiled at her as he got rid of the shirt. "my trousers are dirty too aren't they?" Her eyes flitted downwards and then back up.

"Yeah... ummm... I mean I wasn't look..." she blushes and turns away, crossing her arms, "That was a spectacular landing you made in my yard. Piloting skill just keep getting better and better don't they." she glances over her shoulder grinning.

"I mean I have actually gotten better than I was with you." He smiled. "Ummm... I need to get out of these, but I can't seem to get out of them..." God, he would be difficult wouldn't he.

"Right." She turns back round, and fumbles with the fastenings, trying very hard not to think too much into this or the fact that she is still in her bathrobe and nightgown. How many times had she fantasised about this when she was with him in his previous regeneration before getting stuck in this parallel world. "There," she unzipped him and helped him out of his pants, careful about leaving his boxers on, which she couldn't help but notice where TARDIS blue.

"Rose..." he whispered as he locked eyes with her. He then looked down in shame. "I have... I have been so alone without with you in the TARDIS. I don't want to break up your family, but I want you to know. I still have feelings for you."

Sod him and his feelings,blushing again, "I'm sorry. And I know. I have missed you, the proper you but..." she sighs, "the truth is you aren't you anymore and he still is. Well maybe he's a bit more Donna than I would like at times," she laughs, "but still... you're going to have to figure a way out of your boxers on your own mister."

"I wasn't suggesting anything of that nature..."

Has he forgotten how much she knows him? She raises an eyebrow at him, "Hmmm... really Doctor? You forget that I know you so very well." she teases, echoing her thoughts.

"I... I... I ... am not the same Doctor you know.." He recovered half way through the sentence, and she chuckles at his fumbling.

"That much is very obvious to me. Now in the shower with you." she says, her tone taking on a mothering quality as she turns her back. When she hears the curtain slide shut and the water turn on, she turns back around and sits down on the toilet, still not wanting to leave him incase he was going to have another little spell, "You know," she says, "You kind of ruined my day. Not in a bad way but you put a big wrench into my plans."

"What do you mean? I am sorry... I didn't chose to be here." She heard the sadness in his voice, and worries on her lower lip.

She laughs trying to break the tension, "No, it's ok. Really, it's fine. It was a nice surprise." she smiles, "But I had this wonderful evening planned for me and the Doctor. I was going to drop Donna off at my mum's, slip into my favorite black dress and go out to dinner at a nice restaurant with him, maybe some dancing." she sighs, "I was going to tell him tonight that we were... well we were expecting again and I wanted to make it special. But it can wait, getting you home takes priority."

"No, no, no I think I will go see Jackie..." He paused as both of them remember the royal slap her mum gave the ninth version of him.." Or maybe I will just take a walk."

"Doctor relax, enjoy your shower, I'm just going to pop out to get changed." Before he can protest, she opens the door and walks out of the bathroom, straight into her husband. He seemed to have been listening at the door, "Ok so how much of that did you hear?"

"Well I ... I... You are pregnant" He beams at her, the most magnificent grin on his face.


End file.
